In a much deeper (but not extremely deep) draft in 2004 we swapped Devin Harris at #5 and a couple horrendous contracts in Christian Laettner and Jerry Stackhouse for Antawn Jamison.  At the time, it was a hell of a deal.  Looking back, it was still a great deal, even considering how good Harris is now.  This year should provide a pick at 5 who could have as much if not more expectation of impact than Devin Harris did coming out of college.

This year at #5, any combination of Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, Demar Derozan, Jordan Hill or Brandon Jennings should be on the board.  Even in a weak draft like this one, those options at #5 should entice at least a few teams.  Add to that the fact we have expiring contracts in: 1) such a horrible state of economic affairs, and 2) the year before the all-time greatest free agent class hits the market, Ernie Grunfeld should have a few options available to him via trade.  He said "it's not the draft pick, it's what you do with it."

The question I have is what type/level of veteran should we expect back in any trade for #5?  I assume that we wouldn't have to include any of our core in most trade scenarios, simply because teams aren't usually willing to part with players good enough to warrant us giving up our #5 pick in addition to any of those guys (except players such as Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, who I doubt we could get).

Some of the veteran guys we could target based on:

1) Our team needs (mainly defense, also luxury tax)

2) Other team needs (would they be looking to get younger, or could one prospect in particular help them at #5?)

3) Other team's intentions to shed salary (luxury tax related or 2010 FA signing related)

Here's the list:

Kirk Hinrich (target #1) - (Trade: #5 pick, Mike James, and Pech for Hinrich and Bulls #16 pick)  This is the one that I think has a very good chance of going down.  Makes sense for both sides.  Gives the Bulls a high pick which they can use on Harden to make up for losing Ben Gordon.  Also shed Hinrich's contract to make room for Bosh or Wade in 2010.  This trade would give us our defensive ace in our backcourt.  It also rids us of Pech's contract so we can sign our 2nd rounder.  We stay in the draft at $16, where we draft Dejuan Blair for the sole purpose of him knocking Andray and JaVale on their asses and toughening them up.  Hinrich immediately increases our defense, outside shooting, ball handling, fast break, and overall leadership/BBIQ.  The risk is giving up a #5 pick that could turn into a star.  Also we contribute to giving the Bulls the cap space that could lead to creating a dynasty if they end up signing Wade or Bosh.

...The guy who would fit best but would probably take more to get:

Tayshaun Prince (target #1A) - (Trade: #5 pick, Nick Young, Etan Thomas, Pech for Prince and Pistons #15 pick)  This trade gives the Pistons a lot of options.  I'm not completely sure the Pistons go for this, but the pieces are there, nonetheless.  I am extremely wary of giving up NY, but if it gets us Prince, it might be the one case where we might have to pull the trigger.  They put NY next to Stuckey and let Rip mentor him and that becomes a potent backcourt.  The Pistons then draft Jordan Hill, giving them the banger they sorely lack, and become young and athletic.  I barely need to explain why Prince helps us.  He has been a winner his ENTIRE career, since before he was a senior at Kentucky.  He stresses defense.  Has a 7-foot wingspan.  Can go in the post and can shoot the trey.  Prince would be the perfect fit for our squad.  We can still use the #15 pick on Blair to smack 'Dray and JaVale around, or pick up Tyreke Evans to make up for losing NY, who has as much upside and athleticism as anyone at #5.

James Posey (Trade: #5 pick, Etan Thomas, and Pech for James Posey and Hornets #21 pick)  This is a trade that I have to ask myself the question: what impact can we expect from our #5 pick immediately?  James Posey is one of the best defenders in the league, especially come playoffs, and is a clutch 3 point shooter.  But this would be a trade about shedding contracts as much as anything.  The Hornets have shown their interest in getting below the salary cap, and Thomas' expiring contract will help them with that.  Getting rid of Pech will allow us to sign our 2nd rounder, and the with the #21 pick we would have options as well. Maybe Dejuan Blair is still there, but if not we can draft Darren Collison who is underrated in this draft.  The #5 pick will help the Hornets get younger where they could find an impact player in Harden, Derozan, or Hill to grow with CP3, who is still only 24.

Other guys:

Gerald Wallace

Stephen Jackson

Josh Howard

Ron Artest (Sign and Trade)

David Lee (Sign and Trade)

These trades are meant to be ones that keep our core intact and add a proven player who brings an important skill set to our squad.  I'll leave the blockbusters to Ernie Grunfeld, but if you all have any others that you could see happening, add them in the comments.

The Hornets obviously want to get rid of Tyson Chandler, evidenced by the fact they already tried to trade him for expiring contracts and scraps at the trade deadline.  They just got murdered by the Nuggets, and will undoubtedly be looking to make some moves this off season.

Does the risk of his injury bring a big enough reward where we can afford to spend one of our expiring contracts in Etan Thomas along with Andray Blatche?

Something like this might work:

Etan Thomas

Andray Blatche

future 2nd rounder

for

Tyson Chandler

This lets NO shed Chandler's contract, while getting an expiring with at least a little immediate value in Etan, and a young prospect in Andray Blatche.

This gives us the defensive presence we need to back up Brendan, and another athletic guy for Gil to toss oops to (since we know he's good at getting up for those).  When healthy, Chandler has proven he can hold down the middle, which was one of our biggest deficiencies last year.

The biggest risk is Tyson Chandler's lack of health the past season, and the last thing we want as Wiz fans is another guy in street clothes.  Does an off season of rest help Chandler recover?  Something for the doctors to determine.

The other risk is whether or not it is time to give up on Andray.  He has shown brilliance at times, with some good athleticism and a decent feel for the game, but when is he going to step up and put in the work?  No doubt, giving up on guys has killed us in the past, but how many opportunities do you give a guy until he shows you something?

...The last season I go without NBA league pass.

Too many story lines, too many young teams developing potential superstars, and all I care about is basketball come November.  Screw network sports schedules.

Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas in Chi town

B Diddy in La La land

Boston 3 party goes for 70 wins

Shobe goes for 70 wins and 100 points

Superman

DWade, BEASTLEY, Matrix (Division rival getting as much airtime as Wiz??? on MY television?  Nahhh)

Is CP3 the funnest guy to watch in the NBA?  Just might be

Nash passing to old guys

too bad Lebron doesnt have anyone to pass to (or to pass to him)...

and I'd like to see the experiment in Toronto every now and then

ohh did I forget anyone... Portland anyone???  Greg Oden...  What a rookie watch

Just a few squads I'm dying to see next year, and I also think Kidd isn't done in Dallas.  They have a squad and Kidd can still pass.  They'll get it back next year.

Oh yea, and I almost forgot home court advantage for the Wiz finally!  set the Over/Under at ... 50 wins

Besides the Wiz, anyone have a burning desire to watch any team in particular next year?

I've been waiting for the day Joe Dumars would make some moves with all those chips he has in Detroit...  Damn he's a good GM

“I’ll make a significant trade,” Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, declared. “… "We have a core group of guys here that for the first time in six years I’m letting teams in the league know I’ll do a deal. … I’m open for business.”

Melo is untouchable right?  Thats what I thought.  I knew those rumors about him and Richard Jefferson were ridiculous:

Tayshaun Prince

Rasheed Wallace

for

Carmelo Anthony

Marcus Camby

Both Tayshaun and Melo have 3 years left on their contracts.  It seems like both duos of players would be going to better situations/roles on their teams.

I see Tayshaun stepping it up to 17-18 ppg in an increased offensive role, while giving the Nuggets the defensive stopper they greatly need at SF in the west.   Iverson and Prince would be sick together... but Sheed is the deal maker because he's the low post presence that could push the Nuggets over the top in the west.

Melo joins a team with the defensive intensity that could cover up his liability on that end of the floor (and hey, he might even step it up, too).  It's needless to go into the creativity Melo brings to the Pistons offensive game, but if they had him in this year's conference finals...

Big 3 of Iverson, Prince, and Sheed > Big 2 of A.I. and Melo

Big 3 of Chauncey, Rip, and Melo > Big 3 of Chauncey, Prince, and Sheed

Gotta love the community you all have going here.  I’m glad I finally got around to signing up.  Anyone have Ernie Grunfeld’s email?

FIRST step to the off-season will be to re-sign BOTH Gilbert and Antawn.

I’m not hearing any part of the argument against Gil.  He is a top-10 player in the NBA when healthy.  When someone on the court is that good, the role players simply don’t have to work as hard to get open shots and can focus on more important things like DEFENSE instead of the rare numb-face.

Now for the trade…

WIZARDS OUT

Brendan Haywood (5 mil/yr @ 2 years)

Andray Blatche (3 mil/yr @ 4 years)

Deshawn Stevenson (3.5 mil/yr @ 3 years)

18th pick in the draft

WIZARDS IN

Elton Brand (he would have to opt-out and then Sign and trade)

10 mil with 10% yearly increases thru 4-5 years

Brevin Knight (1.7 mil @ 1 year)

This deal would only work because it’s with the Clippers.  Why wouldn’t the Clips want to exchange a 29 year old forward fresh off knee surgery for a chance to get younger with players who have very favorable contracts?  This is the type of thing they’re known for.

They will be getting Shaun Livingston back, who also suffered a heartbreaking leg injury, but who is still just 23.  With Livingston showing the promise that he did before his injury, it would be cool to see him running the break with Maggette and Thornton on the wings and Mobley and Stevenson spotting up for 3’s.  They could have a great mix with that backcourt.  They’d also have 2 centers coming off incredibly strong seasons in Kaman and Haywood, and young Blatche with the opportunity to prove himself alongside a much younger roster with more minutes to go around.

Mix in their 2 draft picks at 7th and 18th, which they could draft someone like Kevin Love or Darrell Arthur to anchor their PF position, and another young PG like Ty Lawson or DJ Augustin to go behind Livingston and they would have a very potent group of young talent.

CLIPPERS depth chart:

Shaun Livingston / Ty Lawson / Quinton Ross

Corey Maggette / Cuttino Mobley / Deshawn Stevenson

Al Thornton / Tim Thomas / Nick Fazekas

Kevin Love / Andray Blatche / Paul Davis

Chris Kaman / Brendan Haywood

This is an extremely risky deal for the Wizards, and I doubt Ernie would make it with the good job security he seems to have right now.  But me on the other hand… “I’m so nice that I’ll bet my life (I guess I got a gamblin’ problem).”

The Wiz immediately become a contender in the East.  Elton Brand has a broad range of moves on the block as well as a sweet 15 ft jumper.  He's solid on defense, and he gives us that post presence that any team needs in order to win a championship.  Thats the goal with this trade...

And then you know what happens when you make that big of an improvement in one season: it attracts free agents who wouldn’t otherwise sign on.  After this blockbuster deal goes down on draft night, it will catch the eyes of guys like Mickael Pietrus, Desegana Diop, Chris Duhon, Devin Brown, or Eduardo Najera.

Personally, I think Pietrus and especially Diop would be the best fits as free agent additions.  Pietrus replaces the 3-point shooting that we lost in Deshawn, and has solid defense.  Diop is the one piece that we would absolutely need.  With the dynamic scoring of Gil, Caron, Brand, and Jamison (COMING OFF THE BENCH), Diop would be the rugged rebounder/shot blocker that could be the intangible aspect of the half-court that doesn’t show up in the box score.  It would then be important to re-sign Roger Mason.  His poise and 3-point shooting late in the season was a bright spot and I only see him improving his game.

Though our bench was much deeper this year than it was the past, one thing it lacked was a consistent 6th man/scorer that could come into the game to either keep the offense moving or give us a spark.  Jamison has proven in the past to be a great 6th man, and as captain, I see him relishing that role to make the team take the next step.  It would also be a cohesive second unit coming in, with AD, Jamison, and Songaila who all work well together and with Nick Young being the offensive threat that replaces Gilbert’s shooting.  That is a second unit that can straight up shoot the ball, and again you have your muscle in the middle in Etan.  Anyone have Ernie’s email??

WIZARDS depth chart:

Gilbert / AD / Brevin Knight

Roger Mason / Nick Young

Caron / Mickael Pietrus / DMG

Elton Brand / Antawn Jamison / Darius Songaila

Desegana Diop / Etan Thomas / O-pech